1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front pillar garnish to be attached along a front pillar that constitutes a portion of a window opening of a vehicle body for covering a gap between a front window pane and the front pillar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various constitutions of the front pillar garnish (hereafter also called as “pillar garnish”) have been proposed and known (for example, see JP-A-2003-54262). A pillar garnish disclosed in JP-A-2003-54262 integrally includes an ornamental head portion separated from a window pane surface to a vehicle exterior side and covering the gap at the separated position from the vehicle exterior side when the pillar garnish is attached to a predetermined position of a body panel, a groove wall defining a rain water gutter in cooperation with the window pane surface by being protruded from a back surface side of an inward portion of the ornamental head portion, and a mounting leg portion protruded from a back surface side of an outward portion of the ornamental head portion to the window pane surface for mounting the pillar garnish to an outer peripheral edge of the window pane and/or to the window opening of the body panel.
In the pillar garnish of the above-described constitution, in order to ensure safety particularly in running under rainy weather, it is desired to excellently secure a field of view of the front window as well as a field of view of a side window while preventing water droplets wiped at the front window by a wiper blade from flowing to the side window by efficiently receiving the water droplets. If a volume of the rain water gutter is enlarged, the water droplets wiped at the front window can be prevented from flowing to the side window. In enlarging the volume, a height of the rain water gutter that extends to a lower side may be increased, however, there is a limit in an allowable height in view of design and whistling sound that is generated during running.
On the other hand, in order to enlarge the front field of view in running under rainy weather, an area wiped by the wiper blade needs to be increased. That can be achieved if a length of the wiper blade is prolonged, however, there is a concern that in operating the wiper, particularly when the wiper reaches a lowest side, (when wiper is stopped), the wiper interferes with the pillar garnish. Even when the wiper blade does not interfere with the pillar garnish, there is a concern that a tip end of the wiper blade is brought into the rain water gutter of the pillar garnish to close the gutter. In this case, a water flow flowing in a skewed lower direction while being guided by the rain water gutter for each pivotal movement of the wiper blade may be blocked, and rainwater overflowed from the rain water gutter may flow toward the side window by riding over the ornamental head portion.